Port operator Enstructure and the Diamond State Port Corporation (DSPC) on Monday celebrated the groundbreaking of the Delaware Container Terminal (DCT), the upcoming container terminal in Wilmington, due to open in early 2029.
Located at the former Edgemoor industrial site, DCT will nearly double capacity along the Delaware River port complex. DCT will provide ocean carriers and cargo owners with a location accessible by Class I rail service and major highways, including I-495, I-95, I-295, New Jersey Turnpike, and Pennsylvania Turnpike.
At full-scale, the terminal development will increase the physical capacity of the facility to accommodate larger vessels with a quay length of 2,700 feet and a depth of 45 feet. DCT is designed to accommodate container vessels with capacities of up to 16,000 TEU, allowing 1.2 million TEU to move through the terminal each year. DCT will employ seven electric ship-to-shore gantry cranes and 24 electric rubber-tired gantry cranes to move container cargo.
DCT is a public-private partnership between Enstructure and the state of Delaware through DSPC. DSPC owns the site, while Enstructure is responsible for the project’s development and will operate the facility under a long-term concession agreement upon expected completion in 2029.
The project represents a total investment of $669 million, including $225 million invested by Enstructure and $325 million invested from the State of Delaware, plus $119 million in federal grants via the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, which were awarded to the State of Delaware to deploy "zero-emission" port equipment at DCT through the EPA’s Clean Ports Grant Program.
